Amex Launches 15-Minute Tweet-to-Buy on Twitter

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With a new program launched this week, copying a hashtag and
tweeting about means the purchase will appear on next month's
Amex statement. Can it really be that easy to charge say a brand
new LG 80-inch HDTV for $17,000? Sure, if your credit limit is
high enough.

American Express this week added a new feature to its Sync with
Twitter program that allows approved cardholders to tweet and buy
American Express gift cards as well as merchandise from a handful
of retailers, including Amazon, Sony, Urban Zen and Xbox
360 .

Over the past year or so, the credit card company has been
testing its social syncing service by letting cardholders receive
discounts on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare
. For instance, after syncing a card with Twitter, a user can
copy an Amex Sync special-offer hashtag and receive a discount on
a Sony TV. The savings appear as a credit on the customer's next
Amex statement after making a qualifying online purchase in the
Sony Store. Hundreds of retailers and customers have signed up
for the program, according to an Amex statement.

The new tweet-to-buy feature adds a few extra steps plus a
15-minute time limit to make your purchase. Here's how it works:

Go to the Amex Sync site and follow the instructions to sync
your credit
card with your Twitter account.

Follow AmexSync on Twitter and then look for tweets from
American Express in your Twitter feed with a special hashtag.
Tweet the hashtag and then watch for a response from @AmexSync
with the confirmation hashtag.

You must confirm your purchase by tweeting the confirmation
hashtag within 15 minutes of receiving the confirmation. Your
product will be delivered to the address you have on file with
American Express.

In a Groupon
-style offer, Amex Sync offered a $25 American Express gift card
for $15 by tweeting #AmexGiftCard25. The offer quickly sold
out.